Revenge is Always Fun
by Hufflepuff-Sunflower
Summary: I couldn't believe it! Gilbert, my boyfriend since high school, cheated on me! I didn't think of what I was going to do until what Ivan said came to mind. "Revenge is always fun..." That was creepy, but... it was true... I could get back at Gil, using someone he hates... But Roderich is taken, and he's my boss, so that leaves... oh god... [PruHun/RusHun]
1. Chapter 1

"Oh my god! It's starting!"

"Aaah! I see Gilbert~!"

"Francis is _so _hotter!"

I roll my eyes. These are the shouts I hear as the lights onstage come on, revealing Antonio Carriedo at the drumkit (which has a tomato on the base drum), Francis Bonnefoy at the keyboard, winking at random girls- he's single, yet again- and Gilbert Beilschmidt- _my_ Gil- with his electric guitar, standing at the front microphone. wave so that he can see me, even though I'm near the back. And he blows a charismatic kiss. The girls around me, in their short skirts and sheer shirts, swoon and scream. The idiots don't realise that the kiss was to me. Gil would never even dream about doing that to someone else. Aside from the main three, The Bad Touch Trio, there's a few random people on other instruments, but they get switched out every so often.

Toni counts them in on the drums, and Gilbert shreds his Prussian blue guitar. Francis starts singing, and surprise, surprise, his song is in French. He always writes his songs in French. (And maybe that's a good thing.) The song goes on for a few minutes, and from what Francis has taught me, it wasn't so innocent. Hey! It's not like I intend to learn bad things in French! It happens when you hang out with Gil and Francis. Toni... not so much. I don't know how he became friends with the others... they always use him for prank bait, which isn't really nice, but he's fine with it.

The concert goes on for another two hours, when Gilbert ends the song with an exaggerated bow, and the crowd goes wild. I hear girls screaming "I love you, Gilbert!" "I love you, Francis!" and "I love you, Antonio!" Yeah... shut up. Gil's mine, and Toni's got Bella. They can all go for Francis. And he'd probably have them all. That man would even flirt with a pole, if no one else was within talking range.

"Excuse me! Excuse me!" I find myself shouting repeatedly, pushing through the crowd. I need to get backstage, and say goodbye to Gilbert. The guys are leaving for their tour of Europe tomorrow. They'll be gone for a month and a half. What'll I do without Gil for that long...? I spend practically every day with him. "For god's sake, _move_!" I shout, pushing past two giggling teenagers. They glare at me, obviously seeing the backstage pass around my neck. Not that I even need one; the security guards all know me. Lovi nods and moves aside as I reach the doors.

"Hola, Erzsi!" I hear a familiar, Spanish-accented voice call. Antonio skips up to me and gives me a friendly hug. "Did you like the concert, chica?"

"Igen, Toni, of course!"

"It's a shame you can't come with us to Europe."

"Yeah... but you know Roderich."

"Si... Ill tell Gilbert that you're here." He walks off, humming. He wishes Bella were here, I can tell. After a minute or so, Gilbert comes out of the dressing room, sweeping his white fringe out of his face.

"Hey, babe," he saws, wrapping his arm around my shoulder as he kisses me. "Glad you came."

"Well, I had to say goodbye to my gorgeous boyfriend. I've got work tomorrow, so I can't see you then."

"Ja, ja, you told me." Does he sound... bored?

"I know, but sometimes you forget things." Well... I _hope_ that's what happens. I _know_ he pays attention.

"Hey, want some beer? I got Ludwig to drop some off before the café meeting."

Café... meeting...? "Shit! Sorry, hun, I gotta go! Oooh, Roderich's gonna kill me..." He gives me another kiss, and I pull away quickly. He gives me a hurt look, but I don't have time for this. I push past people once again, as soon as I step outside the backstage doors. Getting out of the car park in my little crappy car was a nightmare, as well. People were still hanging around, some people smoking and drinking, even though there were signs warning penalties for doing that.

Fortunately for me, there's little traffic, once I get away from the concert hall. I pull up at the little café. The _'Das Edelweiss Café_' sign is packed up insdie, along with all the chairs and tables. But the light's still on inside, and Roderich's weekly staff meetings last for hours. Sure enough, I hear yelling coming from the building, only confirming that people are inside. I gulp nervously, knowing I'm going to be yelled at too, as soon as I step inside.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Erzsébet!" Lili shouts, standing up. I didn't know she was able to speak so loudly. I'm about to say something when she winks at me. "Play along," she mouths.

"What is the meaning of this, Erzsébet?" Roderich asks, from the front of the room, already pissed off. Judging by Ludwig's expression, I'd say that the two got into an argument. Again.

"I-" I begin, but Lili cuts me off.

"Bitte, Herr Edelstein, it was my fault. I sent her a text message saying that the meeting was cancelled."

"Und why would you do that?"

"Because that's what I heard. But I had no credit left to tell her that I was wrong when big brother told me to get ready."

"So this is your fault?"

"Ja."

"Then it is you who shall face the punishment for tardiness, not Erzsébet. Sit down. Both of you." I walk to the seat behind Lili, putting my bag under it.

"You didn't have to do that," I whisper to her. "You don't wanna wash dishes, do you?"

"It's okay. It's what friends do. And I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" God, I feel bad.

"Ja! Besides, it's my turn in the kitchen tomorrow." Ah, crap. I have to wait tables tomorrow. Some of the customers, I swear...

"Stop talking!" Roderich shouts, hitting his pointer on the portable whiteboard. "We are running behind schedule as it is, thanks to Misses Zwingli and Héderváry. Now, about the new menu change..."

No one pays attention to him, honestly. I think he just likes to feel important. Roderich's alright, really, once you get to know him. Just a little stiff, and a little snobbish. Really attached to that piano of his. Actually, I was wrong. Lili pays attention, but that's because Lili pays attention to everything. Sometimes, I think she's too nice for her own good. No wonder Vash protects her like she's a fragile crystal or something, like she's going to break. Can crystals even break?

An hour or two later, I don't know when, I lost track of time, we're 'dismissed', as if we're back in school. I wait with Lili out the front of the café. She's waiting for Vash to pick her up. (He works here at the café, too, but he's sick, so he didn't come to the meeting.) I can't just let her wait out in the dark alone. We chat about trivial things, like always. I guess, when Gil goes, I could spend my days with Lili until he gets back, but... Lili's more the type of friend you play chess with, or drink tea with, or talk to about problems. I don't like tea and I suck at chess.

"Will you miss Gilbert?" she asks out of the blue. Wow, it's like she read my mind.

"Of course! He's my boyfriend, and he'll be gone for six weeks..."

"It's going to happen more, you know, if the Bad Touch Trio gets more and more popular."

"Yeah... I know. But maybe by then, I'll have enough money to come along." She looks at me. Is she worried? "What's up?"

"Oh, um... nothing..." A small car pulls up in front of us, and I give Lili a hug goodbye. "Call me if you need me, ja?"

"Ja," I say, imitating her, and waving. She gets into the car, and Vash, who has the same haircut as her, drives off. I walk over to my car, and of course, like usual, the key gets stuck for a second. _Finally_, it opens and I drive home. Fortunately, Edelweiss is only a few minutes drive away from the apartment I share with Bella. It's a small, crappy apartment, but it's okay. I'm barely home anyway. And when I am, Bella gives me leftover waffles. She makes _really_ good waffles. Like, restaurant quality.

When I get to the apartment building, there's a red car parked in _my spot_. I'm not saying that to be like Sheldon Cooper, but it is literally _my spot_. It says _136_. Mine and Bella's apartment number. Bella doesn't have a car- oh. That's right. Toni parks there sometimes, when he comes to visit.

I park on the side of the road and head up the stairs. We live on the second floor, so I have to climb up some stairs. At least my bag is light today.

"I'm home~!" I call, opening the door. Toni says hola again, from the table he and Bella are sitting at, next to the window.

"Erzsi, Erzsi, Erzsi!" Bella shouts repeatedly, jumping up out of her seat and dragging me into her room. "Be right back, mijn liefde~!"

"What's happening?!" I ask, her excitement rubbing off on me.

"Tonisaidsomethingaboutpoppingthequestionineurope!" she whisper-shouts, all her words jumbling together.

"Calm down, and repeat." She takes a deep breath and starts again.

"Toni said something about popping the question in Europe!" she says, jumping up and down.

"Oh my god!" I jump with her- this is so exciting! And to think, it was _me_ that got them together in the first place, back in high school! Gil and I have been together since high school, too... I wonder...

"I know, I know, I know!"

"Wait..." Something she said floated into my mind. "Y-you're going with them to Europe...?"

"Ja!" she shouts. Her smile is so wide now... "Toni's paying for my tickets! Wait... you're not...?"

"No..."

"But... Gil...?"

"No."

"Oh my god... I-I can stay if you like..."

"No, no, no! You go!" I give her the same excuse I give everybody else. "I asked Roderich. He said no. No time off, so... no Europe."

"A-alright..." she walks back into the living room, back to the table, and I notice she has a new headband in her hair. Another gift from Toni. There are also flowers on the table. Gil never gets me gifts, or flowers. "There's more salad on the on the bench if you want some!" she calls to me, sitting down.

"Nah, it's okay. I snuck some cakes at the café. ANd besides, I have to call Gil." I walk into my room, and that's when I realise that I have a message.

_gnight babe concert tired me out c u 2moz_

Argh! His grammar always gets to me. So... no calling Gilbert then. I can't see him tomorrow... I swear I told him that...

_I told you before, hun. I can't see you tomorrow. I've got the early shift at work._

I sit at my laptop, looking over a story a friend emailed me that I saved to my computer. A few minutes later, my phone buzzes again.

_unawsome c u wen i get back then_

_See you then~! Have fun! I'll Skype you on Tuesday, okay?_

_k_

I'm filled with the urge to give some smartass reply, but I can't be bothered. It's almost eleven... maybe I should go to bed. I have to be at work by eight... I call out goodnight to Toni and Bella and change into my pyjamas. I check my phone again and go to bed.

Tomorrow's the day that my boyfriend, my handsome, 'awesome', funny boyfriend will leave for a month and a half. And one of my closest friends, too. I'm sure I'll be fine. And who knows? Maybe, for once, Gilbert will get me something.

* * *

_**Translations-**_

**Chica- **Spanish for 'girl'

**Igen-** Hungarian for 'yes'

**Bitte**- German for 'please'

**Mijn liefde- **Dutch for 'my love' (at least according to Google Translate)

* * *

_**Hello! I know I should be working on my other stories (I'm still trying to figure out Chapter Two of Not Lonely Anymore...) but this idea came to my head, and I planned out the entire thing. And I feel proud of that fact. I was originally going to write the whole story, and then upload it, but... Today is Hungary's birthday, and she's the main character, so I decided, "Eh, why not?"**_

_**Updates for this story should be a bit more consistent. (I'm already up to Chapter Five)**_

_**This is testing out a new pairing that I've started to like... only one person knows what pairing that is... and it's also testing out first-person writing. I need to practice that.**_

_**So, what do you think? Is it good? Is it crap? Are there mistakes? Please tell me, so that I can work on it. I write fanfiction to practice writing skills/techniques, after all. Aaand I have no idea what I'm on about now.**_

_**Oh, and I realise this may be very cheesy. But I like cheesy romance. ^-^ (And sorry for the title... I could think of nothing else... and it's a quote from somewhere in the story.)**_

_**Happy birthday, Hungary! (and everyone else, have a good day~ :))**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I was gonna update this on Sunday, (or Saturday... whenever I uploaded it last week...) but I'm going away this weekend, so... early update for anyone reading this! Yaay! This is actually a sort of filler chapter, before the plot comes into full play... but it's only chapter two, still early in the story. I'm on work experience next week, so I won't have any homework to do... **__**notthatidoitanywayhehheh**_

_**Also... my 'e' key isn't working properly for some freaking reason, so if you see any words that should contain an 'e', but don't, PLEASE let me know.**_

* * *

One of the Bad Touch Trio's songs plays. My alarm. Seven a.m. I sit up, and pick up my phone, turning the alarm off. The song I chose as my alarm is one of their songs that I don't particularly like. Gil's screaming, and his voice doesn't sound as good as it usually does.

I get up, have a quick shower, and get dressed, into the Edelweiss uniform: a pale yellow top and long with pants, with covered shoes and a white apron. I put my hair up in a bun, before going out to the living room. I remember just now that Bella's already gone.

With nothing else to do, I head off to the café. It's a little early, but oh well. I know that Roderich will be there. Just as I pull up, Roderich is seting up the sign with the edelweiss flower, and the tables and chairs.

"Want some help?" I ask, getting out of the car. He looks up, eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh. Good morning, Erzsébet. N-nein, it's okay." He stands up, stretching his back. "You're here early."

"Well, it seems as though everyone's gone to Europe, so I've got nothing to do."

"Ah, yes. The concert for that... _band_." Geez, he said 'band' with so much hate... ah, of course. Roderich is into classical music. He doesn't like much new stuff. "You don't think they're actually good, do you?"

"Um... well..."

"Honestly."

"Igen." He 'hmph's, and sighs.

"Whatever. Come and help me set up the tables." What happened to 'I don't need help?' I follow him inside, anyway. _Welcome, to Das Edelweiss Café, where we serve breakfast, lunch and an early dinner! I hope you like German food!_ Lili's cheerful voice said, on that first day. _Oh! Hi, Erzsébet! You're working here too?!_ I smile. At least Lili will be here.

Today's been a slow day. It's now my lunchtime break. I don't know what to do... I usually go and visit Gil at his and Ludwig's house during this time, and bring him some lunch. Well, really, it's Ludwig's house. Gil just lives in the basement. he's made it all really cool. Oh! _That's_ what I can do! I can go feed Gilbird! Yeah... he named his pet bird after himself. Isn't that cute?

"Lutz!" I shout, running into the kitchen. ("No running!" shouts Roderich). "Can I have the keys?"

He looks up from the cake he's making. "Keys to what?" he asks, confused.

"The house. Gil said I can feed Gilbird for him."

"Erzsébet, he took Gilbird with him."

"W-what...? Are you sure?"

"Ja. I haven't heard chirping all morning."

"Oh. Well, that's nice." Great. Now I've got nothing to do. I check the time. It's one here, and Gil left at six... there's no chance he'd be in London by now, so I can't Skype him yet.

"Are you alright, Erzsébet?" Lili asks, over at the sink. She's got a whole ton of plates spotlessly clean beside her.

"Yeah, just don't know what to do during my lunch break."

"Oh. Well, I always go to the library and meet my friend there during my lunch break. You can come, too, if you like. I've got five minutes left until my break."

"No, it's alright. I'll just end it now, get some extra money... that'll be nice."

"Are you sure? We could always use another person, the more the merrier, they say, ja?" I don't know if I'd like to hang out with anyone else like Lili... probably this friend is like her, too. Plus, libraries remind me of Roderich.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Would you like me to tell him you said hello?" Him...? I turn and wink at Lili as I near the door that leads back into the main room, and her face goes red. "It- it's not like that!" she shouts.

"Sure~" I sing, walking back to the main room. Well, that's the excitement of the day. I'm only teasing Lili. Vash would never let her have a boyfriend anyway, even though she's twenty. The fact that she's even _friends_ with a guy would confuse me, if she hadn't been the only friend of this boy in high school. Pretty much everyone was afraid of him- and it didn't improve the situation, when someone spent the weekend at his house, and came back to school on Monday with a broken arm. He insisted that he'd fallen out of a tree, but no one believed him.

I barely concentrate on the road as I make my way home in the car. The road's empty, anyway. Usually after work, I'd go over to Gil's again, and we'd... uh... watch a movie. I brought him leftover cake or something from the café, and we'd enjoy having the house to ourselves. (Ludwig stays at Edelweiss until later, helping Roderich clean up and deal with the left over food.)

Now there's no point in me going over there. I walk in the door, saying "Hi!" before remembering that Bella left too. I flop down on the lounge and turn on the TV. There's gotta be _something _on.

Today has been one of the only boring days I've had since high school, when I started dating Gil. Something Lili said before came to mind. Surely Gil would take me along next time they went on a tour... I couldn't just ask, but maybe I could drop a hint?

I don't know. But tomorrow, I'm going to go to the library. There's free internet there, so I can Skype Gil. (I don't have internet here... we should work on that.) He'll remember tomorrow's Tuesday, right?

* * *

_**Soo... I know it's not much, but as I said, the story's still being set up, sorta kinda I think. Of course I know! Geez, I'm halfway through Chapter Five! And don't worry, next chapter is longer... and more eventful.**_

_**Anyway, please tell me what you think! Reviews make me very happy, and even just "It's going well" would make me feel like people are actually enjoying this. And who knows... maybe I'll put up Chapter Three on Sunday, when I get back...? *wink wink***_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I'M SO SORRY FOR THE UBER LATE UPDATE. IT'S THE HOLIDAYS AND I WAS AT MY DAD'S, DOING GUIDE DOGS STUFF AND ICE SKATING. I didn't get much time for internet. BUT HEY! I'm writing Chapter Seven as we speak!**_

_**This is the chapter when the plot finally comes into play... I think it's also the longest chapter so far. So faarrr...**_

_**Enjoy~**_

* * *

When I wake up and check the time on my phone, I panic for a second. 12:34?! I overslept!

Oh wait. It's Tuesday, my day off. God, I'm such and idiot sometimes. Not as bad as Gil, though. I lay back in my bed, and listen to the suburban noises. After a few minutes, the sun streaming through the window really gets to me. I get up, throw my hair into a loose (and messy) ponytail and go into the living room/dining room/kitchen thing. I dunno. It's an apartment, what do you expect?

I make myself some plain toast and get some apple juice out of the fridge. Goddammit. It's only been one day and already I miss Bella's waffles. She could've at least given me a recipe, or something. I've got nothing else to do today, so I guess I'll just take my laptop to the library, check my email, Facebook, maybe give that Happy Wheels thing Toni told me about a go...

"Come on, come on, come on... NO!" I shout. This stupid game, I swear! Video games aren't for me... that's more Gil's thing. And Toni's cousin, Lovino. He's _really_ good at fighting games. The librarian, a blonde man with caterpillars on his face- I mean thick eyebrows- gives me a glare and walks over to me.

"You know this is a library, right?"

"Yes, Iggy."

"WHAT?! Oh- Erzsébet, it's you." The librarian turns out to be an old schoolmate, Arthur Kirkland. It doesn't surprise me that he's a librarian. He sits down across the table from me, and I close my laptop. "How's things? You still dating Gilbert?"

"Igen. He's in Europe at the moment, with his band- The Bad Touch Trio?"

"Oh, yes..." He scowls. I forgot. He and Francis _hate _each other. He gets up as soon as some teenagers start laughing like idiots. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?!" he shouts, at one in particular.

"Drop dead, Artie!" he shouts, with a clear American accent, as he and his friends walk out the door. Arthur storms past me, returning to the front desk. As he goes past, I swear I hear him mutter 'wanker' under his breath. They must be related.

I look up the time zones, and apparently, in June, a good time to call from Sydney to London is at Four. It'll be seven there, and the BTT will have to get up around then, to start preparing for tonight. I've only got an hour to go... I might slip out and get a coffee.

Four o'clock. Time to call. I head back to the library, plug in my earphones, and sit at a desk in a mostly empty part of the huge library. The only other person here is a man bent over a really old laptop at the next table. If I annoy him when I make the call, he'll go away. I open up Skype, and call. I can't wait to talk to Gil again.

He answers after almost a minute. For a second, I see some blonde girl, before Gil shouts "Scheiße! It's Tuesday!"

"G-Gil...?" His white hair is messy- well, it's always messy, but right now, it's _really_ messy, and he's not wearing a shirt. "Wh-what's going on...?" Don't cry, Erzsi, don't cry... he wouldn't...

"It's not what it looks like!" he shouts, waving his hands about.

"Gil, honey, who's that?" some sickly sweet voice asks.

"Hang on a second, babe! Uh- I was talking to you, Erzsi!"

"Who's Erzsi?"

I hang up. I don't need to hear any more. I... I never thought Gil would cheat on me... I've been so loyal, so loving... we've been together for so long... my heart... After a few seconds, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" an accented voice asks. "Erzsébet?" Only when I look up to see that the man who was at the old laptop is now at my side do I notice the tears flowing down my cheeks. He sounds familiar, but my vision is blurred by tears. Why am I crying so much?! Man up, Erzsi! _Especially _in public!

"I... I'm fine..." The lie only forces more tears out. "S-seriously, I'm fine."

"Erzsébet, this isn't fine..."

Wait... what?! "How do you know my name?!" I wipe my eyes, and am able to see him clearly. I know I've seen him before... not many people have violet eyes... Oh no... "I-Ivan...?" No, no, no, no, no! Of all the ex-classmates to sit by me, why _him_?! He smiles.

"You remember me?" Of course I do, you creep! You always fought with Gilbert- or... vice versa... but still! You broke poor Toris' arm! And made him say that it was because he fell out of a tree!

"O-of course..." This time, I say it aloud. It's tough to hide the fear that's suddenly risen up. Damn you, tears. "C-can you please get your hand off my shoulder...?" He complies, but not without asking why. "Because..." You scare me. You're probably going to break my shoulder. You're probably going to drag me somewhere and murder me. "I don't really like people touching me." That's safe enough to say.

"Oh. I was told that's what you do when trying to comfort someone." Why would _you_ comfort someone? Did you 'comfort' Toris? I bet that's how you broke his arm. "Prostite." I have _no_ idea what that means. Oh, god... stop shaking, that'll only make things worse! Hopefully he'll just think it's because I'm crying- but I don't want him to think I'm some baby he can just push around! Why am I even crying again...? Oh... Gilbert.. More tears flow. Goddammit.

"Why can't I stop crying...?" Whoops. I didn't mean to say that out loud. "I-I'm not usually like this," I add.

"Would you like to get something warm to drink? That usually makes me feel better."

"Um..." Before I can actually give a negative or even positive answer, he pulls me to my feet, and almost out of the room.

"Oh, wait. You should probably get your things." How on Earth can one person smile so much? I can't say no... who knows what he'll do... so I head back to the table and pack up my laptop. As I'm zipping up the bag, Arthur is at my side.

"What's happening, Erzsébet?" he hisses. "I saw you with Braginsky..."

"I... I don't know..."

"What did he do? Why are you crying? Do you need me to call security? Wait, libraries don't have security. The police?" Arthur's usually not this caring.

Glancing back over at Ivan, who's looking at his phone, messaging someone by the looks of it, I mutter to Arthur. "I'll... I'll be okay, we're just getting something to drink," I reply, reassuring myself more than Arthur.

"If you need anything-"

"We'll be in public." I'm surprised he's showing so much concern, especially seeing how he just treated his brother. "I can look after myself, you know," I snap, glaring at Arthur. A glare and tears. This can't look too convincing. "See you later, Arthur." Maybe I can slip out of the room while Ivan's looking at his phone... Staying as quiet as possible, I walk past. Unfortunately, he noticed. He follows me, putting his phone into his pocket.

"I was just letting my friend know that something's happened, and I can't spend time with them today," he informs me, as we head out the front door. Ivan has friends? Since when? "So they don't think that I'm ignoring."

"You don't have to do that." Then someone else would've been here, and nothing bad could've happened... unless they were like Ivan. "They could've come, too."

:"Turns out they're busy anyway."

"Well, that sucks," I say, trying to sound not so disappointed.

"So, where would you like to go? There's a really nice German-style café nearby-"

"Edelweiss? No thanks." I'd rather stay away from work on my day off. But then again, I'd be safe there...

"Alright. Know any other places?"

"There's one just around the corner." Why don't I just run off? He doesn't look like he'd be able to follow me... The café we end up at is very modern and trendy, as one would say. I know the owner, a Polish man, Feliks, who I'm _pretty sure_ is a crossdresser. He too, went to school with me. Now that I remember, he and Ivan didn't get along very well.

"Oh! My friend Toris works here," he says, as we sit down. More friends, huh? Did you somehow get nice, kind Toris to forgive you for breaking his arm?

"Yeah, they make really nice things here."

"Hello, what can I get for... you... to...day...?" a brunette man, with his hair in a short ponytail, says, trailing off on his sentence upon seeing Ivan. I can tell that he wants to run away. I do, too.

"Hello, Toris! I'd just like a tea, please. What would you like, Erzsébet? I'll pay." I glance at Toris with wide eyes, never seeing this before. Toris, however, is staring at his notepad, a forced smile on his face. Might as well get the best out of this.

I order the most expensive coffee, and Toris hurries away. Ivan searches through his old-looking wallet, eyebrows furrowed. "What's the matter? Not enough money?" Alright, I asked that kind of meanly, but... he deserves it.

He doesn't answer, but I hear him mumble "I can buy Nata something another day..." as he pulls out a twenty dollar note. "This should be enough, da?"

"Uhh... yes. Tea is four dollars, and that coffee is fifteen," Toris says, taking the twenty dollar note.

"Who's Nata?" I ask, as Toris leaves.

"My little sister," Ivan replies, smiling fondly. "See?" From his still-open wallet, he removes a picture, and shows it to me. It's him, and two women. He towers over them both, and has a wide smile on his face. One of the two girls, the shorter one, is very beautiful- I'm kind of jealous- but has a very grim expression on her face. She looks like she's about to stab somebody. Well, she's Ivan's little sister, so, I guess that's not far off... The other one, with shorter hair and a large chest, is smiling brightly as well, one arm wrapped around Ivan (who is in the middle of the two). "And the other one is our big sister, Katya."

I remember her. Yekaterina. She was one of the prefects at our school, when I was in year eight. How are they?" There's no point in not being polite.

"Katya is good. And Nata is doing a lot better."

"I'm glad to hear that," Toris says, coming back with our drinks. "So... she's... completely better?"

"Da. You should come visit her sometime, Toris! I bet she'd like that."

"A-are you serious?!" Toris asks, blushing a deep red. Ivan nods, still smiling. "But she always seems to hate me.. don't you remember the, uh... incident with the tree?"

"Da, she refused to let you come down for several hours. And then the branch broke, because it couldn't hold you any longer." Oh. So... he _wasn't _lying. Toris really _did_ break his arm falling from a tree that weekend at Ivan's place. "But she does like you. Maybe not in the same way you like her, though..."

"C'mon, Toris! There's, like, more customers to serve!"

"Oh. Uh, sorry, Feliks! C-could you please tell Natalya that I say hello?"

"Of course!"

"Thank you for the coffee!" I shout, not that I even know why. "Well... that was... interesting."

"He has a little crush on my little sister. Ever since we were in primary school."

"Ah."

Ivan giggles. "If they got married, Toris and I would be like brothers!" He takes a sip of his tea, and I do the same with my coffee. I've just realised why he's being so nice to me. There was a rumour going around, in year twelve, that he liked me. I don't really know why... Gil and I were never really that nice to him...

"Why were you crying?" he asks a moment of silence.

"What?"

"Back at the library. You were crying."

"Oh..." The image of Gil and that blonde comes back into mind, and tears prick at my eyes. More coffee. He's staring at me, expecting me to answer. He's still faintly smiling. "Um... I caught Gilbert- my boyfriend- with... with someone else..."

"Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

"Igen."

"I'm so sorry, Erzsébet. That's horrible," he says, sympathetically. I tell him about all the good times Gil and I had, and how horrible I feel now, how... useless I feel.

"You're not useless," he says. "Are you going to do anything about it?"

"Like what?" I'm confused. What can I do?

He smiles darkly. "Revenge is always fun..." AAALLLLRIGHT. _THAT_ WAS CREEPY. I WAS JUST STARTING TO THINK MAYBE HE WASN'T SO BAD. And then he does _THAT_. I can't think of any way to reply to that, so here goes another sip of coffee. Mmm... this is really good...

* * *

_**Translations-**_

_Scheiße- _'Shit' in German

_Prostite-_ 'I'm sorry'/'excuse me' in Russian

**_DO YOU KNOW HOW UNCOMFORTABLE IT IS FOR ME TO TYPE THESE SWEARS?! THE WORST I SAY IS 'CRAP'! But... adults swear, A LOT, so..._**

**_Please, PLEASE, leave a review and tell me if I'm making mistakes, if you love it, if you hate it (be nice...) AAAANDD I'm not entirely used to writing Hungary's character, so please tell me if she's too OOC._**

**_Have a great day~ _**


	4. Chapter 4

_**You know what? Because last chapter was so late, here's an early chapter! [And thank you to the two people who gave me reviews~] Holy crap. This entire story [which is almost finished, I've got about two more chapters to write, (nine in all) and upload them all...] takes up twenty pages! o_O Anyway, I think this is the first story I will have ever finished...**_

_**Enjoy~**_

* * *

We ended up staying at the café for another hour. I _really _wanted to leave, after that revenge comment, but I stayed. The wonderful taste of the coffee took me prisoner, and some part of me, deep down, wanted to stay. Gil and I had made this guy's life hell, and apparently he was going through stuff at home, too, and I felt guilty for it. Believe it or not, there were a couple of years in high school where he didn't smile so much. One year, I'm pretty sure I never saw a single smile on his face. But we never stopped.

"Ivan?"

"Da?"

"About what Toris said before... what was wrong with Natalya?" Instantly he looks uncomfortable, and... sad?

"I-I..." he says with a slight grimace. "I almost lost- I would rather not talk about it. It's in the past. No need to think any more of it," he says hurriedly. He shakes his head, as if to remove an image from his mind, and plasters a smile on his face again. It's weaker and not as bright as his previous ones.

"Well... I... uh... I think I'm going to go home now, I say, standing up and stretching. "Geez, it's almost six o'clock already?!" Oh crap. I didn't bring my car... It was so nice before, so I decided to walk, but it started getting cloudy about half an hour ago.

Ivan waves goodbye to Toris, who nervously waves back, and we head out. Ivan starts walking towards the library, probably where he left his car. I start heading in the opposite direction, towards home, with my laptop bag slung over my shoulder. It's about a twenty minute walk. "Erzsébet?" he calls. "Where are you going?"

"Home!" I call back. "I didn't bring my car." He jogs the five or so metres over to me, and grabs my hand- forcefully but gently, if that's even possible. He starts pulling me back to the library.

"Come, I'll drive you. It looks like it's going to rain," he sings happily, as if he hadn't just invaded my personal space.

"B-but you don't know the way-"

"Da, I do~"

"WHAT?!"

He laughs. "I'm kidding~ You can tell me how to get there." He leads me to a small, beat up car. It looks a lot worse off than mine... Smiling, he opens the passenger side door for me. Is this a good idea...? But I can't let my laptop get wet... aaand there's a raindrop. Giving in, I get into the car, and he closes the door behind me. He looks uncomfortable when he gets in the driver's side, and he has to bend over slightly, so that his head doesn't hit the roof of the car. There's a little enamel sunflower charm hanging from the rear-view mirror. Maybe this is his sister's car. There's no way a big guy like him would own such a tiny car. "You can turn the radio on if you like," he says, starting up the car.

"It's alright." I never find good music on the radio, and they never play Hungarian music... but there's always those crappy boy bands (two in particular... one from Britain and one from Australia...) whose music makes my head hurt, and dubstep. Although, once, I _did_ hear a Bad Touch Trio song... I give Ivan the directions as we go, and we end up at the apartment complex without getting lost. He takes my laptop bag for me and follows me up the stairs to mine and Bella's apartment. Something Gil never did... Oh... _Stop thinking about that!_ "Well... here's home..." There's really nothing else I could say.

"It's very nice," he says, _still smiling_, and checks his watch. "I should probably get home now. Call me if you need anything, or... or if you don't want to be alone, with what just happened..." He hands me a folded up napkin, with two numbers on it, obviously his mobile and home phone numbers. When the hell did he write that?! I take it anyway, and he lifts both his arms slightly- oh God, does he want a hug or something?!- before dropping them, and giving his hand out for a handshake, face slightly red. After standing there for a second, I shake it, and he leaves, saying "Do svidaniya."

If that wasn't the epitome of awkwardness, I don't know what is. I though the napkin on the table, and flop down on the couch. I need to think about things. About Gilbert. I can't believe he did that... Cheated on me, someone who's loved him for years, and has never once thought about going with another guy (Okay, well, maybe _once_ I thought about going out with Roderich, but only for less than a day!)

Actually...

With Gilbert gone, and after what just happened... I'm starting to realise how much of a jerk he was... Always staring at other girls, never helping me pay for anything, even when I needed it, never taking me anywhere nice, when I did that for him... Sure, he doesn't have a job, and the BTT get tons of money, especially now, with this tour... Urrrgghhhh... I'm so confused... I hate him, but at the same time, I still love him. I think. I don't know. I used to get butterflies whenever I saw him, but... those stopped a few years ago. Ivan's comment about revenge comes to mind... (Also the fact that now he knows where I live. Crap.)

I can't just let Gilbert do this to me, and get away with it. Ivan's right. Revenge will be fun. But what could I do...?

Ludwig would never let me destroy any of Gil's stuff... hmm... Well... I guess I could give him some of his own medicine. I could go out with someone else. Someone he _hates_.

There's Roderich- oh, but he's engaged to Toni's cousin Isabel. And besides, I don't think he likes me. Not in _that_ way, anyway.

Ivan... It's kinda obvious that Ivan still likes me. And... if today proves anything... he's not _that_ bad, I guess... I can handle being around him, for a while, until Gil gets back, and gets as hurt as much as he hurt me. So... I guess I'll just act like I like him, too, and then maybe he'll ask me out on a date, and I can try and keep it going until Gil gets back, show Gil how happy I am with Ivan, and then leave Ivan when Gil sees, and I will never have to worry about the two of them again.

I don't care what it takes. I'm going to get back at Gil no matter what. I've decided that I've had enough of his crap.

I call Lili about half an hour later, when I've fully thought out my plan. She probably won't approve of it, seeing as she's, well, _Lili_, but I also need to tell her what happened with Gil.

"Hallo? Who is this?" answers a male voice. Vash.

"Hi Vash! It's Erzsi. Erm... where's Lili?"

"Oh. Hello, Erzsébet. Lili's right here." There's a few seconds pause, and then Lili answers.

"Sorry about that, Erzsi. You know what big brother is like. How was your day off?"

"It was... pretty bad. At first. And then just plain weird."

"What happened?"

"I told you I was going to call Gil, right?"

"Ja..."

"Well, um... I caught him... 'with' someone else..." Despite how much I've thought about it, and decided not to care about Gil anymore, it's still hard to say it. Of course, Lili is sympathetic.

"Oh, goodness! Are you alright?! When did this happen?!"

"Igen, I'm fine."

She pauses for a moment. "Was this at the library?" she asks, thoughtfully.

"Igen..." Where's she going with this?

"Around four o'clock?"

"Igen... why...?"

"So _you're _the person Vanya told me about."

"Vanya...?"

"Oh- sorry. Do you remember Ivan Braginsky? From high school?"

"..." Well... I definitely can't tell Lili about my plan now. She'll never let it go, and she'd probably tell me how wrong it is- she'd probably do that regardless if she knew Ivan or not, but it'll be worse, because she's his best friend- and she'd probably warn him.

Lili and Ivan have been close friends since high school, and that year that I never saw him smile, I never saw him without her. Even when I pressured her, she refused to tell me what was up with him, why he'd turned all gloomy all of a sudden.

"Erzsi?"

"Oh, sorry. Yeah, I remember. He treated me to a coffee at Feliks' café today."

"Ja, he said that. He didn't say it was you though. I was wondering who he'd be having coffee with..."

"..._When_ exactly did he tell you this?"

"I just got off the phone with him about five minutes ago. That's why big brother answered. He sounded so happy. I'm guessing that was the 'weird' part of your day?"

"Igen. He said some... strange things." _'Revenge is always fun...'_ "And he dragged me along, and acted like it was nothing."

"Mm, he does that sometimes. You just need to make it clear to him that he's invading your personal space, and he'll apologize." Not saying anything about the strange things he says...?

"I did, when he had his hand on my shoulder, when- after I caught Gil."

"Comforting someone and dragging someone along are two different things... Where was he dragging you to?"

"Out of the library, and then back _to _the library, after the café. Well... it wasn't really dragging, more like gently pulling."

"Well, he's forgotten about personal space... I'm not going to get into why... but someone's behaviour has rubbed off on him, after years... and he likes to be close to people."

"'Someone'?"

"Natalya, his little sister. She's... nice." Lili would call anybody nice. She was the only one person who would call Ivan 'nice' when no one else would.

"You sure know a lot about him."

"I talk to him a lot, so he doesn't feel too lonely. There's not much about him that I don't know." I can practically hear her smiling. I know what she's referring to. This conversation is making me feel more and more awkward by the second.

"I'm going to have to go, Lili, I need to make another call and I'm running out of credit." I feel terrible for lying to her, but I can't just hang up. "See you tomorrow."

"Alright. Guten nacht, Erzsi." After I hang up, I dial Bella's number. I'm _not_ going to call Gil, or the other two, because they'll probably put me on to him, and I do not want to go through that at the moment. Plus, Gil hasn't made any effort to get back to me... he never does.

"Hi Erzsi!" Bella says happily, once she picks up.

"Hi, Bella! How's things?"

"Oh, they're going great! London is so beautiful! I asked Toni, and we'll be stopping at Brussels! I can see my grandparents again!"

"That's great! And... how's Gil...?" Woops. That slipped out. But... I guess part of me still wants to know...

She pauses. "Gil's... great. Haha, that's... what's the term called?" she laughs nervously. "When you use the same sound at the start of each word...?"

"I don't know," I reply, in a flat tone. We continue to talk for about fifteen minutes, then I really _do_ have to go and put my phone on charge.

* * *

_**[XD 'Before He Cheats' by Carrie Underwood came on while I was re-typing this... XDXD]**_

_**Do I need to put any translations here...? I think everyone knows that 'Do svidaniya' is goodbye... And, if you don't know, Brussels is the capital of Belgium.**_

**_I wasn't really sure how to write how Erzsébet would feel... I've never had a boyfriend, let alone be cheated on..._**

_**Sorry if this chapter dragon on a bit. WHAT?! Dragged. God. Dragged on a bit. I only got three hours of sleep last night, okay? (Yeah... that's why there may be mistakes... please tell me if there are.) I guess it's sorta a filler...**_

_**Oh and look who's going on about nothing. Whoops.**_

_**Please, leave a review! I know you probably see this a lot, but it really does motivate me! Have a great day~!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**I AM SO SORRY FOR THE UBER LATE UPDATE! IT'S BEEN ALMOST A MONTH! Stuff happened, okay? I would've done it but stuff happened, and I'm not going to get into it... but one thing I will say is that I got my friend to paint henna on my arm yesterday! There's music notes, a nice pattern, and a heart with a certain someone's name in it, written in that certain someone's language~**_

_**Anyway, I'll just get on with the story...**_

* * *

The next day, after an uneventful day at work, I head home. Wednesday is my 'short day', where I get off at two instead of six. Usually I'd watch the guys at band practice, but that's obviously not going to happen. When I get home, the folded up napkin on the table does not leave my mind. Should I...? I mean, I really do want to get back at Gilbert, and I don't particularly want to be alone at the moment, but... Ivan has this really weird feeling about him.

Forget it.

"Allo...?" answers Ivan, sounding confused but happy.

"Szia, Ivan, it's Erzsébet. Listen... I... um..." I put on a sad voice. For once, I'm glad I got forced into doing Drama in high school. "I don't really feel like being alone at the moment..."

"Oh... do you want me to come over?"

Why else would I be calling and saying that?! "Y-yes please." He says he'll be here as soon as he can, and we hang up. That was easier than I thought. Maybe hanging out with him wouldn't be so bad... what are you thinking, Erzsébet, he's a creep. Is getting back at Gil worth this...?

Yes. Yes it is.

Ivan arrives about half an hour later, holding some flowers and a plastic bag, wearing that pink scarf and a smile again. "Privyet, Erzsébet! These are for you," he says, handing me the flowers. Tulips. How did he know these were my favourite...? I ask him and his face goes a bit red. "...I asked Lili..." he answers sheepishly. "So... you like them?"

"Igen. But... why?"

"When you visit someone, you usually bring gifts, da?"

"Igen, igen... what's in the bag?"

"Hm? Oh. Movies. I... wasn't really sure what type of movies you like, but my sister likes these, and she suggested them..." He hands me the bag, and I look inside. Cheesy romantic movies. Of course. Gil would never watch one of these with me, even if I would want to. "What do you think?"

"Boring. I've already got some good movies here. Some snacks would've been nice, though." How'd he get the idea to bring movies, anyway? Then again... what else were we going to do if he didn't? I... didn't fully think this through, did I...?

"I brought those, too!" he says, pulling out another bag from what must be an inside pocket in his coat.

"Wow... anything you _didn't_ bring?" He pauses for a moment.

"Vodka." ...Uh huh. Well... this is awkward. We're both standing in the doorway, me holding a bunch of tulips and a plastic bag full of cheesy movies, and him holding a bag of food, and most likely wishing he'd brought said alcohol.

"Um... do you want to come in?" I ask, putting on some sort of a strange smile, and stepping aside. He enters the apartment. "Just put the snacks on the coffee table. I'll go find us some movies." I wonder if he likes Adam Sandler? "Make yourself at home!" I shout from my room. I bring out a few movies and find Ivan sitting on the lounge, looking around the room curiously. It sort of reminds me of a child.

I show him the movies, but he doesn't know them, so I put one on. Billy Madison. That's pretty funny. I go thorough the bag of snacks he brought.

"It's not nice to go through other's people's things," he says. His tone of voice makes me freeze, and I shake a little.

"Uh-uhm... y-you- I..."

He laughs. "I'm only joking~ I brought them for you! I hope you like them." Chocolate, chips, popcorn and Dixie Drumstix. Okay... well... that's a pretty good choice.

"I'll go heat up this popcorn. You want some?"

"Yes, please."

So polite... Gil would've just said "Ja, babe," or even just "Ja". Okay. Erzsi, Stop making comparisons between Gil and Ivan. "Feel free to start up the movie!" I shout, pressing the button on the microwave. While I wait for the popcorn to cook, I hear the sound of various trailers playing. A few seconds later, I come back into the living room, two bowls of popcorn in hand. "Here," I say, handing him one. He smiles and says "Spasibo." I'm presuming that means 'thanks'.

The movie finally comes on, and I jump up to close the curtains, otherwise it's too bright to see the TV properly. How did I forget to do that before? I sink back into the lounge, my bowl of popcorn in my lap. I glance over at Ivan, who's sitting up straight, hands folded in his lap, occasionally grabbing a piece of popcorn or two from the bowl on the lounge beside him.

"You can relax, you know."

"Hmm? I-I am relaxing..." he says, sounding confused.

"Well can you lean back into the lounge? You're kinda freaking me out."

"Oh..." He smiles (what am I saying? He's always smiling) and leans back, resting on the back of the lounge, letting out a relaxed sigh. "This is nice, da?"

"Mm hmm."

"Are you feeling better?"

"What?" I'm confused... oh, right. _'I don't feel like being alone'_. Riiiight. "Oh, right. I-igen. Thank you."

"No problem~!"

A week goes by, and I've asked Ivan over a bit more. I even accompanied Lili to the library to meet with him one day. We're sitting on the lounge in my living room again, watching some random TV show, when he asks me the question that sets my plan into motion.

"Erzsébet...?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you and Gilbert still... uh..."

"Going out? No. Hell, Ivan, he cheated on me." He nods, slowly.

"I... I guess this is a little sudden, but... um... would you like to... to..." He doesn't know how to word it, does he? Has he _ever _asked a girl out...?

"To... go on a date with you?" I finish for him.

"Da!"

"Igen." Great. There's four weeks left of the tour. Then Gil will be back, and see me with Ivan, get hurt, just like I did, and then I can never have to put up with the awkwardness of hanging round with Ivan again! Unless I die by that time. Or he kidnaps me or something creepy like that. Would it be kidnapping if I'm an adult...? "You know what, Ivan? Call me Erzsi."

"Erzsi..."

* * *

_**Translations-**_

_**Allo- 'Hello' in Russian. I was watching a video, and this is apparently how you say hello when answering the phone, so... like 'moshi moshi' in Japanese.**_

_**Szia- 'Hello' in Hungarian**_

* * *

_**Hahahahahh... I wrote this ages ago... why are they watching an Adam Sandler movie you ask? Because I wrote this after watching 50 First Dates. (IIIII might be writing a RussLiech story based off that... maybe...). Sorry if you found this chapter a little short.**_

_**Please tell me what you think~! There's gonna be a bit of action in next chapter- but not the kind you'd probably think. And I almost threw up looking at reference pictures...**_


	6. Chapter 6

_***Nervous laughter* Hiiii... I know it's been a while, but... stuff happened. I'm not gonna get into detail, but stuff happened. Plus I have assignments to do nowadays... *sighs* I hate school more than I hate Alfred F. Jones. -_-**_

_**ANYWAY**_

_**On with the story! (And yay for random character cameos! XD)**_

* * *

_**Chapter Six**_

It's Friday night, the day that Ivan and I scheduled our date. Wow... never did I think I'd hear those words... If you'd told me, back in high school, that I'd be going on a date with Ivan Braginsky, I would've hit you on the head with my frying pan. If you'd have told me that I was doing it to get back at Gil, because he cheated on me, I would've not only hit you with my frying pan, I would've beaten you to a pulp. Because back then I... I had so much faith in Gilbert...

But that's over now. And he's going to _suffer_...

I sit on the small balcony, drinking coffee, waiting for Ivan's small car to arrive. Glancing at my watch, I notice that it's just gone six thirty-five. He's a couple minutes late... I set my empty cup on the glass table, and stand up, to look down the road. Speak of the devil. Or... think. Whatever. His car comes down the road, stopping in front of the apartment building. He hurries out of the car, runs to the entrance, with his long pink scarf trailing behind him. As I take my cup inside to rinse it, I hear a loud shout. I'm guessing his scarf got caught in the door as it closed. A few seconds later, there's a knock at my door. Ivan smiles as I open it, despite the fact that he's out of breath and his face is sort of red.

"Privyet, E-Erzsi..." he gasps, getting his breath back. "Sorry I'm late- something happened..." As he lifts his hand to brush his fringe out of his face, I notice there's a large tear in his coat sleeve. Wow... what happened...? As if reading my mind, he glances at his sleeve. "It's an old coat. That happened a while ago."

"Oh. Well, it's alright. You're only five minutes late. Was traffic bad?"

"N-no, not at all! We should get to the theatre in no time! Are you ready to go?"

"Mm hmm." Before following him out the door and down the stairs, I grab my bag off the little table beside the door. "Looking forward to the movie?" I ask, unable to think of any other conversation starter.

"Oh, yes. I looked it up- it sounds very interesting. But apparently there's lots of violence... You don't mind...?"

"Not at all! The more action, the better- so long as it makes sense." I've seen Gil play video games where there was lots of senseless shooting, wasting time. "And so long as it doesn't take away from the story." We continue to talk as we go downstairs, and out the front to his car. Once again, he holds the door open for me. We're going to get a quick meal- McDonald's or something, before heading to the 'theatre', as Ivan so formally put it.

We end up getting Subway, since Ivan refused to go near the only cashier at McDonald's. (It was the kid who told Arthur to drop dead.) I asked how he knew him, and he told me that it was his boss's son.

"He's, ah... not very nice. And very loud," he says, while we're waiting for our rolls.

"I see." I don't, really, but... okay. It meant we would be getting Subway cookies. I feel childish for saying it, but they are the best.

"Can you find us a table?" Ivan asks, taking out his wallet. I remember the day at Feliks' café, and feel bad. How can I have him pay for me again? Once again, as if reading my mind, he says happily, "It's okay, just find us a good table, da?"

"Alright..." I get us a clean table by the window, with a view of a park across the road. It's starting to get dark already, and tonight, surprisingly, you can see the stars.

"It's a nice night, isn't it? And they said on the news it was going to rain." Ivan says, coming over with three bags- two containing our dinners, and one... "Extra cookies," he says, holding up the bag. He must've noticed me staring at it. "They're very nice, and we could use some later." Mm hmm. Cheaper than popcorn. "Why don't we sit outside to eat?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" I say, taking my sub from him. We sit on a wooden bench across the road, facing the park. It's a little like a night time picnic. A nearby streetlight provides us with some light- not too dark, but not too bright, either. It's perfect. And it's not that cold, either. We take out our meals- subs, sandwiches, whatever you want to call them, cookies and a Coke for me. "Did you get a drink?" I ask. Oh geez... he didn't skip out on a drink because of me, did he...?

He smile turns mischievous, and he raises a finger to his lips. "Shh," he says quietly, reaching into his coat. God, what does he have in those seemingly unfathomable pockets this time...? Oh. A bottle of vodka.

"Um... should you really be drinking, since you're driving...?" I don't want to _die_ because he made a stupid choice.

"Don't worry, Erzsi. It takes a lot to intoxicate me~" he sings, opening the bottle.

"Whatever floats your boat," I say, opening my Coke. We both take a sip at the same time. Hang on... did I just say something extremely Arthur Kirkland-ish? ...I guess that happens when you go to the library, and he's there. Ivan and I talk while we eat, and eventually, we end up talking about the stars. Ivan really does know a lot about space, and he talks about it so passionately. _Someone _obviously paid attention in Science class.

"How exactly do you know so much about stars?" I ask after he explained something to me. Maybe he's actually an alien. Haha... aliens don't exist.

"Oh, well... when I was younger, I'd leave the house when things got difficult. I wouldn't stay and figure out the problem, I'd just... leave. And I'd run to the park- not this one, the one near the school- and stare up at the sky. It made me realise how small my problems were. Eventually, I started getting interested in the stars, so I went to the library, and looked them up. I begged my parents to get me a telescope for my sixteenth birthday. That was one of the best presents I'd ever gotten."

His voice trails off, and he stares off into space. What does he mean, 'when things got difficult'? I'm feeling more and more guilty the more I hang out with him... He's not really _that_ bad... Gil and I had no right to treat him so badly... Come to think of it, this is the most I can ever remember Ivan saying in one go, to me, anyway. How the hell does he still like me...?

"We should go, da? Don't want to be late~" he says, as if nothing had happened. He's good at that, I've come to realise. Or maybe nothing really did happen, and I'm overthinking things...

"Uh, y-yeah. Of course!" We pick up our rubbish, and take it over to the bins. The movies are only a short distance away from the park, so we arrive there in minutes. We get two tickets, and Ivan hides the bag of cookies in his coat pocket- you're not allowed to bring in outside food. We head into the room, and wait for the previews to begin. Not many people are in here, yet, but there is a boy running around, shouting in some Asian language I can't put my foot on...

"Yong Soo! Wo huilaile, bing tingzhi darao dajia!" a woman shouts, chasing after him. Wait, no. That's not a woman. That's... Yao Wang?! Did _no one_ move away after high school? He catches up to the boy, and drags him back to his seat, saying something to him again. Turns out their seats are next to ours, and there's another boy there, playing a Nintendo DS. "I'm so sorry," the ponytailed man says to us. "He's uncontrollable, really, aru." _That_ settles it. It is _definitely_ Yao.

"No, it's alright, Yao," I say, watching as the boy steals the other's DS. "Long time no see."

"Oh, ni hao, Erzsébet, and... Ivan..."

"Privyet, Yao! I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Heh... of course not, aru... Yong Soo! Stop it! Leave Kiku alone, aru!"

"Andwae!" the boy shouts, laughing. He's about ten or so. Kiku sighs, and folds his hands in his lap, watching as the previews start, and Yong Soo finally goes quiet.

The movie sure is action-packed, maybe too much for my liking. Why do people always use guns? I've found frying pans to be quite useful. Sometimes, my gaze falls over to Ivan, who seems to be rapt in the movie, laughing at the witty comebacks, and the slapstick comedy. When my attention is on the movie, out of the corner of my eye, I see him glancing over at me, and notice an extremely sweet smile on his face.

After the movie, we head out of the theatre. Ivan offers to drive me home, but I refuse. I don't care what he says, or about the fact that the clear sky has become cloudy. I'm not getting in a car with someone who drank alcohol at least two hours ago. He nods, and heads back to his car. My apartment isn't _too_ far from here, anyway, and what grown woman is afraid of the dark?

Sticking to the illuminated areas of the street, I keep up a fast pace. I feel like someone's following me... I've got this prickly feeling in my back, but every time I turn around, no one is there. Who knows? It's probably some idiot teenager playing a prank. "Stupid kid! Go home!" I shout, mostly to make myself feel safer.

As if triggered by my voice, I hear movement coming from across the road. Like an idiot, I stop and look. A man with dark hair, whose face is obscured by sunglasses (at night?!), dashes across the road, and pushes me against the wall, out of the light.

"What the- mpf!" He covers my mouth before I can say anything more, and laughs. I'm wearing skinny jeans, which greatly restrict my movement, so when I try to kick him, he manages to grab my leg.

"C'mon, doll," he drawls. I can smell alcohol on his breath. And I was worried about being in the car with Ivan, who showed no signs of being drunk... "Spare me some change, will ya? You don't need it." Something in the distance breaks, and there's the sound of water flowing from a pipe or something. He glances to where the sound came from, and pulls me around the corner, into the nearby alley, where the luminance from the streetlights does not reach.

I try to shout, but he's got my mouth clamped shut. With my breath quickening, and my heart beating harder and faster, I start to panic. There's a shadow along the floor around the corner, but he doesn't see it. The shadow's owner comes around the corner- Ivan?! I thought he went home... He puts his finger to his lips, and his smile is not so friendly now. He's got a faucet pipe in his hands- did he break that off the wall?! I guess it would explain the sound of water...

The man doesn't notice him, but keeps talking to me, threatening me that if I don't give him what he wants, he'll do something that'll make me regret it. He turns around, reaching into his pocket, obviously sensing Ivan standing behind him. He removes his hand from my mouth, but instead pins me to the wall with it. "Hey, Vl- hang on... you're not Vladimir..." Ivan smiles at him, with closed eyes. How can the same smile look so friendly, and then so menacing?

"I don't think Erzsi would like to se someone get hurt," he says, softly. Anyone would mistake it for a friendly tone, if they didn't sense the aura he was giving off. "In real life, anyway," he adds. "So step away, please." 'Please' is more of a command. Although he appears menacing... my panic has faded away, at least a little.

The man laughs. "No need for violence. We're just talkin', right doll?"

"Yeah..." He'll do something if I ask for help, I can tell. Please, Ivan, don't believe him... Is it just me or did the temperature drop several degrees...?

"See? Nothin' wrong with talking." He lets go of me, and I slide down the cement wall.

"Step away." Ivan's smile is gone now, and his eyes are open, glaring at the dark haired man.

The man insults him, and tells him to... well, leave, to put it nicely. His voice wavers a bit though. You could probably hear Ivan snap. He bolts forward, hitting him across the chest with the pipe. He goes flying, across to the opposite wall, hitting it with a sickening '_crunch_'. Surely he'd be knocked out?

Ivan, who looks like he's trying to calm himself down, walks over to me and asks if I'm alright. On the other side of the alley, the man gets up and walks back over to us with a slight limp, glaring at Ivan.

"You want a fight, you got a fucking fight!" he shouts, and punches Ivan in the face, despite the fact that Ivan's taller than him. Oh crap! Was that his nose that made that snapping sound?! Ivan stares at him, shocked, blood dripping down his face.

He was right, he was really, _really_ right. I don't want to see violence in real life. With my eyes closed, though, I can still hear everything the man throwing punches and Ivan doing the same, plus wielding the faucet pipe. There's nothing I can do- I saw the glint in Ivan's eyes as he got punched- getting involved would be dangerous. I find myself _really_ wanting to punch the drunk man though... but why?

After a few minutes, I can't bear it anymore. "Stop!" The sight of the drunk, knocked out on the floor, is the first thing that greets me when I open my eyes. Ivan looks at me, surprised. His hand, still holding the faucet pipe, is up in the air. I crawl over to the man. Oh, thank god, he's still breathing. I don't want Ivan to be gaoled for murder... all because of me... What?! It wasn't because of me! Right...?

"Don't worry, he's still breathing." The next thing I know, Ivan is kneeling by my side. "Did he hurt you?" The first thing I notice when I look up at him is the blood covering the lower half of his face. It's his own.

"Er... I'm fine... are _you_ okay? I mean, he broke your nose, right...? Doesn't it hurt...?"

"Da. I'm very good at not showing my pain, aren't I?" he sings, sounding happy. "I'm sure I'm only in half as much pain as he is." He stands up, and holds out his hand. "Come with me, my house is closer to here than your apartment." He helps me up when I take his outstretched hand, and we walk, hand in hand back to his car. "I think I'm going to keep this~" he muses, staring at the slightly bloody pipe in his other hand.

He's definitely mad! And I'm going to his house?!

..What have I gotten myself into...?

* * *

_**Translations-**_

_**'Andwae!' - 'No!' in Korean, according to Google Translate.**_

_**Aaaand I don't remember what China says. It's something like 'Yong Soo, come back here and stop annoying everyone!' **_

* * *

_**Side note- 'Gaol/gaoled' is how we spell 'jail/jailed' in Australian English... I don't know if it's the same in British English, but... yeah. That messed me up, since in all the cartoons I saw 'jail' but in textbooks I saw 'gaol'...**_

_**So... that was the action. Haaa... I need to practice fight scenes. **_

_**I AM STUCK ON CHAPTER EIGHT. But that is okay. Because this is only chapter six. I'll try and upload chapter seven on Friday, but... I'm at my mum's this weekend, so... I don't know... I may be going up to the Central Coast... HELP I DON'T WANT TO GO THERE IT'S SO BORING AND I'LL BE STUCK IN A CAR FOR HOURS**_

_**And finally, two pieces of advice. 1) Don't eat cookies while typing, and 2) WATCH TWISTED. IT IS AMAZING "A thousand and one nights with you is not enough to spend, so let's make ours a story with no end~"**_

_**Please leave a review, and tell me what you think! ^_^**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Ehh... I've lost track of when I'm s'posed to update this, but please bear with me... things are happening.**_

_**A word of advice, friends... don't look up 'broken noses' on Google Images... *shudders***_

_**I don't know if I've said so in the past, but some day I'm going to come back and re-write this story... include more descriptive language and make it more detailed and longer... I hate everything I've done at the moment...**_

* * *

...This bed isn't really comfortable. Wait... this isn't my bed... My head spins as I sit upright and look around. Oh, that's right. I stayed over at Ivan's last night. There sure are a lot of sunflowers in here... I didn't get to see the décor of his room last night, it was too dark... but now I have come to a conclusion. I'm now dating a violent madman who's obsessed with flowers. Is this _really_ worth it, to get back at Gil...?

I find myself asking that question a lot, it seems... but yes. Yes it is. Of course it is.

Despite the fact that the mattress isn't that comfortable, the blankets are really warm. My eyes dart to the clock on the bedside table as I lay back down. It's still early, so I pull the blankets up to my chin, and let last night's events resurface in my mind.

I hold a tissue to Ivan's face as he drives us to his place, and I have to keep myself from throwing up. Now, blood doesn't bother me, usually. But _it was right there..._ Already I can see his (already large) nose start to swell. Is that supposed to happen?! I don't know how to fix a broken nose! But I'll have to try...

"Does it still hurt?" I ask, tentatively.

"Mm hmm..." You can hear the pain in his voice now. "But we're almost there..."

"Any idea what to do about a broken nose?"

"You think it's broken?" He sounds worried.

"...Igen... _I heard it_." He recoils at my hiss. And as a result, almost swerves the car into a tree on the side of the road.

"N-no need for such harsh tone..." he mutters. "Look, here we are." I... think I upset him... I didn't mean to- I wouldn't care, but I need this to work...

"I'm sorry," I say. "I was just... worried." He gives me a strange look, like one of disbelief. Happy disbelief. Uh huh... okay... What, has no one been worried about him or something? "Come on... we should clean you up..." He smiles, which looks freaking creepy with the lower half of his face covered in _blood_. He's about to say something when I say "Please stop."

"N- what?" he asks, raising an eyebrow, and tilting his head slightly, like a child.

"Smiling like that! Aren't you aware that you've got _blood on your face_?! It's creepy!" I get out of the car, and slam the door closed, rattling the window. He should really invest in a new car. "Take me to your bathroom." He gets out of the car as well, and leads me to the door, unlocking it quietly. He peeks in, before opening it fully. He gestures for me to be quiet, and leads me down a dark hallway.

In the bathroom, the toilet is right next to the sink. I tell him to sit there, while I run some warm water. "Oh wait... we'll need a cloth..." he gets up, and retrieves an old looking white cloth from a cupboard in the hall. "You don't mind this being possibly ruined...?"

"Nyet, it will be fine."

"Do you have internet? I don't know what to do, and I'm sure I could find something online..."

"Unfortunately, no. If I did, though... I wouldn't have met you at the library!" he says happily. Now is a weird time to be optimistic... "I'm sure Katya will know. We can ask her in the morning."

"Alright..." I say, holding the cloth under the water for a few seconds. Memories start to come to mind as I wipe his face clean. How many times have I had to do this for GIl? He always got into drunken fistfights... but his injuries were mostly split lips and bruises, not broken noses.

We're finished by 11:30, and then I wonder what I'm going to do about getting home. Ivan smiles sweetly when I voice my thoughts.

"You don't have to go home, Erzsi. You can sleep in my bed."

"And... where will you sleep...?" I ask nervously. No way, no way, no...

"It'll be uncomfortable, but I'll sleep on the lounge."

"You sure?" I ask as I mentally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Mm hmm~ It'll be like a sleepover, da?" He leads me down the hallway, to what I'm guessing is his bedroom, and, when inside, heads over to a chest of drawers. "Do you want something else to wear?" he asks, before opening the top drawer.

"Uh... igen. This isn't very comfortable." That's what I get for deciding to be girly for a date. He hands me a plain white T-shirt, and after telling me to wait for a moment, leaves. He comes back a few minutes later with a pair of pyjama pants- _women's _pyjama pants.

"My sister's," he explains, seeing my confused look. "Hopefully they'll fit. I'll go make us some tea while you change." He goes to leave the room, but stops at the door, turning back to face me. "You _do_ like tea, da?"

"Igen, thank you."

He returns a few minutes later, asking me if I'm dressed. I respond with a 'yes' and open the door. He comes, biting his lip, and places two mugs on the bedside table quickly, shaking his hands a little. "Be careful," he warns. "Those cups don't hold heat very well..."

As we drink our (really nice) tea, we talk quietly, discussing the movie, and avoiding mentioning what happened afterwards... that was probably the most horrifying moment of my life. Ivan takes the cups to the kitchen, and I try to get comfortable in the bed. God how can he sleep on this?! He re-enters the room, and sits, cross-legged, on the floor beside the bed.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight, Erzsi," he says quietly, resting his head in his hands and smiling up at me.

"It was no problem." I've never been thanked for going anywhere with somewhere before... "Thanks for taking me." We sit in silence for a moment, before something hits me, something that I've been meaning to ask him for a while. "Ivan?"

"Hmm?"

"I... I was so mean to you... W-why do you like me?" I failed to stifle a yawn as I said that. His smile fades a bit, and he sits up straight.

"W-well... I'm not sure... and you weren't as bad as _Gilbert..._" The venom in his voice at that name is unbelievable... "I always saw how nice you were to others, his friends, and... I hoped, maybe someday, you'd be that nice to me, too." His smile comes back as he adds, "I guess that day has finally come, da?"

"I-igen..." Does the intense guilt I feel come out with my voice...? I don't know... Come on, Erzsi, you can still do this... no, I feel sick now... this is so cruel, so sick...

"Um... Erzsi? May I... give you a kiss?" His question takes me by surprise, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Uhh... sure." He stands up, and bends down to give me a light kiss on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Erzsi," he says, exiting the room, his face tinged red.

Oh... I forgot how sweet he was... wait, what?! Sweet and Ivan Braginsky don't go together... or... I thought they didn't... how wrong were we all...?

Urgh... there's no possibility of me getting back to sleep now... I get up and exit the room. The floorboards are creaky, so I tread lightly. I don't want to wake Ivan up. He may not be a morning person, and I don't want to end up the same as the man from last night.

Last night, I didn't see how small the lounge was... Ivan's head is barely on the armrest, his legs dangling over the other side. It looks even more uncomfortable than the bed. The small, pale yellow blanket he's using barely covers him, and reaches from his shoulders to below his knees. He looks so... peaceful when he's asleep. As much as I don't want to, I have to wake him up.

I reach out to tap his shoulder when I hear a scream.


End file.
